S2lrb but the "you don't know what you married" trope would work so well with rafmc. not only concerning the fish of it all but how those relationships are defined not only by trust but how trust or a lack there of ties into information flows between one another. gaps in knowledge and the fact that you do or do not know about your partner often has an equal or even greater bearing on romance than love itself. in a lot of ways, it's about faith and that's not even contending with the deity/mortal (or sanctarch/empress) of it all. whether or not your partner, whoever he is, is "human" in the ways he needs to be for you to love each other. much to think about!!
yes, 100% this. in fact i'd argue that this trope is already at work with rafmc, though ever-shifting. there was a hint of it in ebb and flow, when mc has all of ten seconds to come to terms with the fact that her maybe-boyfriend-employer is a mythical creature. the fact that rafayel's comments about the mermaid and sailor folktale err on sinister is very purposeful, i think.
then, as of to our yesterday, the story's flipped. suddenly, mc has the upper hand—both in terms of how much of their past lives she remembers (allegedly; i'm not buying the idea that rafayel's completely clueless) and her own cosmic power. the first arc of their relationship flirted with this tried and true trope of a woman uncovering the "horrific" truth about her partner and having to come to terms with it, and it seems like the next was meant to turn that on its head and reveal that—to their horror—she was the latent threat all along. if you think about it, mc recovering the memory of all her dead wives LIs makes her her own bluebeard.
btw, if this has got you in a sexy, feminist, folkloric mood, might i recommend the bloody chamber by angela carter? such a good read.
Let him decide, collections, and about him! :)
~@xavissky
Hi, thank you for the ask! ✨
It seems I'm incapable of being short so - under the cut we go!
let him decide: what outfits do you like seeing him wear? do you style him or let him pick his outfits?
I actually really like him in two of his "standard" outfit - Leisure and Black and White.
He just looks so cozy and comfy in his white sweater - exactly what he wants to be right now.
His white cropped jacket with black turtleneck and black jeans still looks comfy and practical but it adds a certain edge to his image - no too much, just a hint that there's a little more than meets the eye to him.
So these are my two faves for Xavier!
For similar reasons I also really like him in his knit sweater.
If we look at more extra outfits I like his jade startrail (lingering lust) outfit - it manages to be hot while still keeping that cozy feelings with the long flowy pants.
I guess I really like to see him comfy and relaxed!
The only outlier is his catch-22 outfit. I love Hermit! Xavier and the outfit he comes with.
I always let him choose. It's fun to see what he comes up with. I gotta say, most of the time he's pretty tame, but he likes to add decals, hair accessories or bunny ears to otherwise perfectly normal outfits.
collections: what are some of your favorite starred voicelines?
Oooh I hadn't listened to them in a long time. And there are so many I like! So hard to choose! Still, let's go with these:
"Even a defeated enemy is still human" (Main Story, to Our Yesterday, 1-5)
This is probably one of my favorite lines in the game period. It's such a great piece of characterization for Xavier. He can be cold and ruthless but he does respect life and human dignity; once his adversaries are neutralized he sees no point in pouring salt into the wound so to speak. No longer a threat? Then you're free to live your life as far as he's concerned. We saw that with his treatment of Isaiah too. It's probably one of my favorite traits of Xavier.
"If they knew I was dangerous, would they still aproach me?"(Tender Moments - Shimmering Sunlight) + "I'm the bigger threat you should be paying attention to" (Event: Love On Screen)
As much as I like Xavier the noble prince and knight who stands up for what is right I love all the reminders we get that he's dangerous and that he can be shady. There's still a ton we don't know about Xavier, and a lot of that has ties with the nest, N109 zone and the ease he has navigating business with less-than-savory organizations. I wonder how far Infold will take this. As much as he's associated with baby blues an lilac, his outfits have a lot of black and white. Light and darkness. He wants us to bask in his light but how much of a shadow is he carrying I wonder?
"I call this one Alarm Clock. It's the loudest and most puncutal" "(Tender Moments - Shimmering Sunlight)
There is no deep meaning behind this one, I just love his naming process. Alarm Clock, Puffball and Fatso my beloveds. And let's not forget about the not-so-great-star - which, from what i understand, was actually a great pun in chinese. Or at least, it had me laugh. Then again, sense of humor is very personal.
"I want it less sweet than a ragdoll, less sour than a ginger and less bitter than a black cat" (Tender Moments- heartfelt guide)
Another exhibit of his sense of humor. I love it.
"But I'm sure the bird will live to see the sunrise. Why would anyone write an entire book about a poor bird who miserably fails anyway" (Tender Moments - Perfect Sunset)
+ "I don't lile the phrase -grieving over spring's departure- i think we should be happy no matter what season. At least, let's be happy today"(Tender Moments - Dawn to Dusk)
Other great pieces of characterization - Xavier is, despite everything, an optimist. He never stops hoping for a better future, for a happy ending - and with hope, comes the motivation not to give up, to keep fighting for such happy ending. But that doesn't mean our Xavie is so fixated on the ultimate goal of future happiness that he can't see the present, quite the contrary. He's all about enjoying the journey and giving meaning to quiet, seemingly unimportant everyday life.
"The color of your lips suits me best" (Tender Moments - Lost Signal)
What can I say, I enjoy his rizz - smooth, cheeky and shameless.
"Then we're partners who chose each other. Therefore, we do not need to fear separation. Even if life's unpredictable nature separates us for a time, we shall eventually reach the same destination on our different paths. So long as we follow our hearts." (Event: Time's Banquet)
Xavi x mc in a nutshell. They aren't Soulmates At Birth, they're not each other's Lovers or Enemies Assigned by Fate. As far as we know they're just two people who met, got along swimmingly, enjoyed each other's company and had similar values. That makes them natural parntes because, no matter who they are or where they are, they'll be fighting towards the same goal - and that means they'll always gravitate towards each other.
about him: share a personal headcanon you have of him.
Not so much as a headcanon, but I do sincerely believe his misadventures in the kitchen come from his adventurous spirit. He always likes to try new things, and that can lead to truly novel flavors in his dishes, for better or for worse.
More headcanon territory, in a universe where the LIs are allowed to meet-
I think he'd get along great with Zayne, but they'd struggle to go beyond a surface friendly relationship - neither is a master at opening up, and Xavier's more wild side would give Zayne grey hair (though I think it would be of the "fondly exhasperated" variety)
Rafayel and him might take a while to warm up to each other, and they might clash a little at first - two shady people who try to telegraph "nothing suspicious to see here!" (Raf is a tad more convincing, sorry Xavi)? They'd be squinting at each other so hard. But, they'd enjoy each other sense of humor I think, and they could bond over their shared appreciation of the beauty of life. They might struggle to become close friends.... mostly because Raf needs people to feel safe. And Xavi is good at being a safe harbor but a) he works hard to be that for mc and b) he still comes and goes as he pleases and you never know what he's really up to. Still I think they'd have a lot to bond over, what with them being the leaders of fallen civilizations that were based on ritual sacrifice and are currently hunted down.
Him and Sylus are the ones I find most difficult to think about, despite them being (supposedly) foils. Yeah, the prince and the dragon. Policeman and mafia boss. Rich but lives simply, gets offended if you don't buy everything in sight. They would clash on a lot of surface aspects but when it comes down to it.... they're both pretty direct about what they want and what they need and how they feel. So I think this would be the unexpected friendship that would have people scratch their head. Or, they'd have a friendly rivality where they respect each other a lot I believe.
Caleb is the one he'd get along the least I fear. Even taking mc out of the equation thus removing their territorial instincst... again, shady people squinting suspiciously at each other but without much they could bond over - not even their shared love for cooking unfortunately. As a matter of fact, I think this is a good example of why I struggle to see these two getting along - they do have a lot in common, such as "cooking as a love language" - but they approach things from polar opposites starting points, and so I think they'd find it hard to come to an understanding. They would be able to work together as they're both capable of holding their tongues and being diplomatic but. I think they'd see each other do stuff and they'd be irked by each other's approach. Caleb leads his men but he's mostly focused on himself while xavier cares for his people even when they work against him, Caleb cooks to please and xavie cooks to experiment, caleb tries to survive and keep the world out, xavie can't get enough of the world and wants to live. Then again, one is a traumatized survivor of lab experiments and god knows what else, the other was a beloved prince before his world started becoming a horror story. Of course they'd be opposites.
alright babes. this is going to be a looooong one. i mean it. i pulled new cards in light of the articles that were recently published by state media and in very, very quick summary, the cards say things are looking up.
in the process of doing this reading, i drew clarifying cards that led me down a bit of a rabbit hole. i don't want to add to the fandom's collective spiraling or end up in a situation where my readings get swept into a stream of misinformation. at the same time, i'm cursed with the need to show my work. so i might try to find a middle ground and reblog those broad predictions as an addendum to this post later today. cards/topics that would be addressed in that follow-up are marked with an *
General reading
so nine times out of ten, i've drawn the ten of wands (R) during my readings on infold's current work environment. it appeared in the last reading i shared publicly, in almost every private reading i've done, and again today. i do think it's indicative of company burnout and confronting harmful business practices, but the more it appears, the more confident i am that infold won't only be forced to consider new strategies with their existing team, but also undergo intensive restructuring.
layoffs, in other words.
i think this could refer to leadership in particular. this very well could be wishful thinking on my part, but it's also informed by the history of infold's business decisions over the previous year. i was unaware of the infinity nikki retcon when this first began. considering where we're at now—and the fact that it is stupidly difficult to get companies to axe bad leadership—i wouldn't be surprised if the managers that made the call to cut valko are the same who gutted IN. if so, it's very hard to turn a blind eye to people who've made gamebreaking business decisions that have triggered two boycotts and damaged the company's reputation on a global scale, within two years. i wouldn't be surprised if we receive news that at least one high-level employee is stepping down by the end of 2026.*
the atmosphere among the current staff is, unsurprisingly, tumultuous. two of cups (R) + five of wands (R) indicates that there's major conflict in response to the controversy, not only regarding outward-facing communication but also the creative direction of the game moving forward. in my exp, you can usually take "two of X" cards at face value to mean that you are literally weighing two options. cups specifically refers to creative directions, which means there are opposing factions to keep valko or rewrite the main story to excise him from the narrative. this shouldn't be news to us, but it does reaffirm that the effort to keep his character hasn't died out within the company.
four of wands (R) confirms that these divisions are preventing infold from moving onto the next milestone for the game (i.e. the main story update). but its presence (it's a celebratory card when upright) plus the fact that the five of wands appeared in the reversed position indicates that we're nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, and the result is likely to be in our favor.
ace of swords + the moon represents that light at the end of the tunnel. the ace indicates that we can expect communication from infold very soon now that these articles have been published. in the same way that moonlight illuminates the world at nighttime, this message should clarify the situation, but only partially. but it is coming. the moon has also appeared in my previous readings on when we can expect more clarity, which can be interpreted as 1 month or literally on/around the next full moon. conveniently, the next full moon is on july 29, aligning with the rumored communications embargo infold would be subjected to during its "rectification" period.
that said, swords are a fast-moving suit, so we could see this combo manifest as an announcement that comes out within the next few days, but illuminates little to nothing, followed by a more clarifying statement on or around july 29.
upon pulling for more clarity on the nature of this message, i drew knight of cups (R) which is... honestly kind of funny. in love readings, the knight of cups upright can represent a "prince charming." an ideal love interest, in other words. when reversed and in business readings, it refers to mixed signals, and more specifically a revoked proposal. it's a bit on the nose. point is, though, it's a confirmation that this new message will address valko directly.
i drew the knight alongside the fool,* which is very promising. the fool could be interpreted as emphasizing the impulsive, stupid behavior the knight of cups refers to. but more importantly, it's generally interpreted as a positive card that signals new beginnings. a reset. my guess: the next statements from infold are likely to be a bunch of corporate speak about "hearing us" and reassessing the direction of the game in light of our feedback, without confirming when whether valko's returning outright (continuing the trend of mixed signals). however, i'd interpret the fool's presence to mean they're not just paying us lip service, but earnestly considering our response.
finally, queen of swords appeared in this reading, which indicates that ppg is truly beginning to assess this situation logically, taking finances and market data into account. due to my private readings, i also have reason to suspect that this represents an actual person(s) advocating for this mindset within the company.* in other words, the boycott is working, and now that the media's weighed in, infold's going to start to respond accordingly and act more decisively. but as a reminder: non-employees won't have much insight into these internal developments, so be wary of rumors and don't be surprised or dismayed if we don't hear about every step as it occurs.
Suddenly thinking of Xavier crying himself to sleep after realizing he killed his mom’s wanderer form and his dad just lectured him about sacrifice. The way it probably changed him the way that MC dying in his arms years earlier probably did. The way he probably never really processed that properly, but it never made him into a wrongful person, it just made him determined. The way I think deep down he battles between wanting to save his planet and the part of him that says “A planet that requires sacrifice isn’t worth saving” through the bitterness of remembering what it was like to physically hold the remains of his mother’s heart in his hands.
yes the writing for lads has become lackluster. but i have to give their team a few flowers for slipping so many items that are toxic to dogs (lily of the valley, chocolate, the grapes mc fed him in the teaser for his standard myth) into valko's character and the few promos he has had, establishing that he's habitually drawn to things that pose a danger to him and laying the foundations for the forbidden romance he will would have had with mc.
DISCLAIMER: I don't have in depth knowledge on the religions/concepts/mythologies mentioned in this text. All this information come from my google research, so it’s an amateur view on the subject. I’m writing this theory in good faith, so please don’t take offense if I make mistakes. If there's any wrong info, please let me know and i'm more than willing to correct it!
This is a theory / my own analysis and research. By no means this is meant to be used as canon reference. Unless Infold themselves gives their seal of approval (which is not happening. Lol)
Fire, in taoist cosmology, it’s the ultimate expression of Yang, and represents cosmic illumination, summer, transformation, and the spark of consciousness.
It's not seen purely as destructive*, but it can harness creation and vitality when in balance. This makes so much sense since the original Sea God was the god of creation.
*God of War myth anyone?
Despite MC mentioning that's how Lemuria was founded, the fact that his bones became the coral bridges to the Netherworld implies that his creations went further than Lemuria.
According to their philosophy, the body organ associated with fire is the heart, which is also connected to the mind. The heart rules not only all the other organs, but also all emotions.
There's also this concept called Seven Sacred Rays that classifies different strengths into 7 categories. The strength that I believe suits Rafayel the best is the 3rd ray, which represents the mind. Its attributes are adaptability, intellect, ability to manifest ideas. They describe our fishie perfectly since he's quick-witted, astute and resourceful, in addition to his connection to the arts and the intellectual elite.
This ray is also associated with the heart and the colors are green or pink. Which lo and behold, pink is the same color as Raf's protocores. Aaand, in the esoteric world, the color pink is also associated with the heart chakra.
Lastly, in Taoism there's also the concept of Red Fire (yang) and Purple Fire (Yin).
Red Fire symbolizes the masculine, represented by expansiveness, passion, action and the bright heat of the sun. It reminds me of current Raf. His heart is being moved purely by emotions. His burning desire to avenge his loved ones won't let anything stop him. He's in constant pursuit of action.
Purple Fire on the other hand symbolizes the feminine. It's a more inward energy, quiet, focused and contained. Associated with spiritual insight and calmness of the mind. This one really makes me think of Abysswalker. Throughout the myth, Rafayel seems resigned and melancholic, as if he's ready to let MC go if that means saving her from their ill-fated bond.
In conclusion, I love the direct connection between his evol and his heart.
The fire in Forgotten Sea is literally the First Sea God's heart. It represents the prosperity or downfall of Lemuria, which reminds me of the heart that controls all the organs and emotions. In other words, what happens to that fire will affect all Lemurians, and as we all know, this fire needs a true and devoted love to survive. This perfectly explains the line "Lemurians live for love".
I also find the duality of the heart between emotions and mind very interesting. Rafayel experiences the world through his heightened senses, which could affect the balance between emotion and reason. In current timeline, I believe he's still fairly balanced. Despite his determination for revenge, he's still able to keep himself in check and under control. In Abysswalker, his heart shifted too much towards the mind. So now I'm curious about the upcoming myth. I wonder if we'll see his heart shifting fully towards his emotional side and be extremely destructive. (And that's why Raf called himself a God of War with certain disdain).
That's it for today, y'oll! You have no idea how much I was crying writing the Forgotten Sea paragraph. Thank you so much for reading!
seriously though, I salute raf's writers for managing to strike a masterful balance - Rafayel is genuinely sweet, understanding, supportive and loving, and actually capable of nurturing a healthy relationship. He's also passionate and intense, and that adds spice to the relationship.
But he's also entitled and possessive - I think that what makes it palatable is 1) it's a game and 2) the way these traits come out to play are kinda like they do in the gods of old myths. We see it in God of the Tides too - he comes to genuinely treasure mc, but he's a young god who takes an interest in a (supposedly) mortal girl, and the attention of a god is monumental. Once he's in love he gives his all to her - but he wants the same level of devotion in return.
Rafayel is terrifying - and he's also a tender boyfriend, king of romance and a fierce protector.
Ya know.... I've never shipped the LADS love interests with each other or in a poly not because of disinterest but because I genuinely don't think they'd be able to stand each other.
But Valko and Sylus? Obviously its super early and we don't really know anything about his personality yet but I can see the potential -- predator to predator, plays on predator/play with switchy Sylus and Miss Hunter, beast to beast?
